Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has strongly objected to City of Harare’s proposed 2026 budget, labelling it “unrealistic”, saying the steep water tariff hikes are “unjustified” given the city’s poor service delivery record.
The budget, presented on October 30, outlines a 61% increase in water tariffs for high-density areas and a 188% hike for low-density suburbs, sparking outrage among residents who claim the city is prioritising revenue collection over service improvement.
The residents said the budget failed to reflect the lived realities of residents and overestimated the city’s capacity to deliver on its promises.
“The proposed tariff hikes for high- density areas of US$2 from US$1,24 for a kilolitre which translate to a 61% increase, and low-density suburbs from US$1,70 to US$4,00 per kilolitre which translates to 188% increase is unjustified in the absence of visible improvement in water supply and considering that in South Africa, Johannesburg, the same amount of water cost US$1,24,” the residents said.
They said the proposed tariff increases are a deliberate move to deny the urban poor access to water on the basis of affordability and are aligned to water privatisation.
“The water tariff hike is a threat to household water security,” the spokesperson said, adding that the city is overestimating its capacity to deliver on its promises.
CHRA said City of Harare’s budget plan was unrealistic because it aimed to increase revenue by 19% but the city only managed to collect 50% of its revenue. It said the city was struggling to provide basic services like clean water, waste collection and sewer maintenance.
The residents said Harare’s approach to managing its ZiG8,61 billion debt was under scrutiny, adding that it lacked clarity and fairness.
“The proposed ‘conditional amnesties’ lack clarity and fairness and will not work without a comprehensive, transparent debt management plan tied to service delivery performance,” the residents said.
CHRA also issued a five-point demand to the City of Harare, including urgent reforms to address the city’s financial and service delivery woes.
“We are calling on the City of Harare to prioritise service delivery improvement, publish a fair debt management plan and commit to financial transparency,” it said.
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